IAOPA Resolutions
Resolution 25/1
Gratitude for Sponsors and Supporters
Whereas:
the Israeli Association of General Aviation (AOPA-Israel) has graciously hosted the 25th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) in Tel Aviv, Israel; and
Whereas:
the leadership and staff of AOPA-Israel have given generously of their time and talents to make this Assembly a success, and have extended their warm friendship and hospitality to the delegates and guests; and
Whereas:
a number of organizations have generously sponsored the Assembly and its special events; therefore
Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to these persons and organizations; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: to extend its appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their excellent services and sponsorship:
- Yaron Efrat, President AOPA-Israel
- Nathan Sharon, AOPA-Israel
- Moshe Akler, AOPA-Israel
- Yigal Mairav, AOPA-Israel
- AOPA-Israel member volunteers
- Jeppesen
- Ronen Shapira, Chief Test Pilot, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
Resolution 25/2
Gratitude for International, Government and Industry Support
Whereas:
representatives from a number of international, regional, national and industry organizations have participated in the 25th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations, providing a significant contribution to the success of the Assembly; and
Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to all of the representatives who participated in the Assembly; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: to thank the following representatives for their insight, support and participation:
- Daniel Calleja-Crespo, Director Air Transport - European Commission
- Mikolaj Ratajczyk, European Commission - Aviation Safety
- Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General, ICAO
- Mitchell Fox, Chief of Flight Operations, ICAO
- Moshe Talmor, Dov Hoze Airport Manager
- Rafael Harpaz, Director Economic Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Giora Romm, Director of Israel Civil Aviation Authority
Resolution 25/3
Recognition of Non-Certified Aircraft Operations
Submitted by the Secretariat
Whereas:
non-type certified aircraft (ultralights, light sport aircraft, homebuilt, owner-maintained aircraft) are increasing in proportion to the total general aviation fleet; and
Whereas:
general aviation has traditionally been the training ground for new pilots and mechanics; and
Whereas:
the growing fleet of non-certified aircraft require a new set of mechanics, instructors and training curricula to be developed to assure continued safety of this growing sector; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: that affiliates work with their national aviation authorities to enact provisions which will assure:
- the recognition of the contribution that non-type certified aircraft make to all civil aviation activities; and
- recognition of the training opportunities non-type certified aircraft provide for all pilots and mechanics; and
- integration of non-type certified aircraft into the regulatory structure to permit training of both pilots and mechanics on these aircraft to be recognized toward the experience requirements for certified aircraft licenses; and
- the collection of appropriate non-type certified aircraft operational statistics to measure the impact of these operations on all civil aviation activities; and
- to the extent practicable, national aviation authorities should permit the crediting of flying time and mechanical training experience in non-type certificated aircraft toward higher licensing.
Resolution 25/4
IAOPA Affiliate Aerodrome Support Programs
Submitted by the Secretariat
Whereas:
aerodromes are an essential resource for all general aviation operations; and
Whereas:
the number of aerodromes in all States has been reduced significantly over years past. This diminished number has made it increasingly difficult to operate general aviation aircraft in an efficient and economical manner. Pilots and aircraft owners leaving aviation because of the resulting operational inconvenience; and
Whereas:
the loss of aerodromes arises in large part from local governments, businesses and residents not realizing the value of general aviation to their community. Additionally, land values near metropolitan areas have risen to the point where property developers can easily outbid airport operators in purchasing the land on which they are located; and
Whereas:
local users of these aerodromes often do not perceive the threats to their facilities in a timely manner to prevent the loss of the aerodrome. This may be because the users are not adequately engaged with either aerodrome management or surrounding communities to realize the potential threats to their aerodromes; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: that all IAOPA affiliates:
- devise programs to motivate and educate their members regarding the preservation and protection of all general aviation aerodromes within their State; and
- form aerodrome support groups and networks for each active general aviation aerodrome within their State; and
- actively monitor continued viability of general aviation aerodromes within their area of influence; and
- affiliates should share best practices information regarding aerodrome preservation and advocacy.
Resolution 25/5
Removal of Requirements for Rescue and Firefighting Services at Aerodromes
Submitted by the Secretariat
Whereas:
ICAO Annex 14 Aerodromes requires rescue and firefighting services to be available at all aerodromes capable of serving international flights, regardless of aerodrome size or activity levels; and
Whereas:
many States have chosen to adopt this requirement for all their aerodromes, significantly increasing aerodrome operating expenses, consequently levying increased landing fees to cover these costs; and
Whereas:
very few accidents occur at small general aviation aerodromes requiring on-aerodrome rescue and firefighting services; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves to: propose that ICAO and States remove the requirement for rescue and firefighting services at aerodromes classified as ICAO Class 1* or those with a runway length of less than 1,000 meters.
* Aerodromes capable of accommodating aircraft with a maximum length of 9 meters or fuselage width of 2 meters.
Resolution 25/6
Meeting the Demand for New Commercial Air Transport Pilots and Technicians
Submitted by the Secretariat
Whereas:
the ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) symposium held earlier this year concluded that there will be shortfalls of well-trained pilots and technicians for the commercial air transport industry over the next decade; and
Whereas:
requirements within these occupations have been estimated as follows:
- in the next 20 years, airlines will have to add 25,000 new aircraft to the current 17,000-strong commercial fleet; and
- by 2026, we will need 480,000 new technicians to maintain these aircraft and over 350,000 pilots to fly them; and
Whereas:
individual self-funding for qualification as an airline pilot or mechanic is expensive and beyond the reach of the average young person; and
Whereas:
training for pilot or mechanic certification begins with general aviation; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves to: work with States, ICAO, commercial air transport organizations and aviation training operators to:
- highlight the fact that a high proportion of all aviation training and qualification begins with general aviation; and
- emphasize the need for increased recruiting efforts in aviation operational occupations; and
- devise financial incentives to support selected aviation career candidates; and
- find ways of lowering flight training and proficiency costs to encourage more rapid achievement of and improving pilot qualifications.
Resolution 25/7
Financial Incentives to Promote Flight Training and Proficiency
Submitted by AOPA-Botswana
Whereas:
the cost of training pilots has escalated over the past few years due to continuing and rapid increases in fuel and oil prices, maintenance costs and landing and navigation fees. These increased operating costs are passed on to the student pilot through increased hourly training rates; and
Whereas:
many young student pilots cannot afford flight training costs over a short period of time. Therefore, the total amount of training time required to obtain a private pilot license (PPL) increases due to the necessity of reviewing previous lessons. As a consequence, the number of student PPL course completions is falling each year due to the expense involved. Furthermore, the number of hours flown each year by new pilots is also decreasing due to these escalating costs. This results in reduced pilot proficiency and ultimately affects safety; and
Whereas:
with fewer pilots being trained each year there are fewer PPL holders progressing to receive a commercial pilot license. Therefore, fewer pilots are able to become airline pilots when the demand for them is increasing worldwide; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: to urge States and responsible authorities to:
- recognize the potential shortage of pilots in years to come and take measures to reduce training costs by eliminating landing and navigation fees for all flight training operations, and
- provide financial incentives to reduce the cost of fuel purchases used for flight training and proficiency flying; and
- reduce operating costs for all general aviation aircraft; and
- ensure that aviation fuel taxes are used to fund the aviation infrastructure.
Resolution 25/8
Pilot Proficiency Requirements
Submitted by AOPA-Philippines
Whereas:
with the introduction of advanced technology devices in aircraft, operators become complacent and reliant on technology, thereby compromising the need to concentrate on basic airmanship skills and procedures; and
Whereas:
technology has obscured the need to emphasize airmanship through retraining activities and regular evaluation; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: to urge State licensing authorities to:
- adopt competency based evaluation tools to determine the proficiency and competency levels of airmen and pilots; and
- require approval of aviation training organizations and their training personnel.
Resolution 25/9
Recognition of Government Responsibility of Aerodromes for General Aviation
Submitted by AOPA-Sweden
Whereas:
responsibility for aerodromes are commonly left to regional and municipal authorities; and
Whereas:
governments increasingly tend to relieve themselves of the responsibility of preserving general aviation aerodromes; and
Whereas:
the international general aviation community recognizes the importance of general aviation airports; and
Whereas:
the European Community recognizes the value of general aviation aerodromes and urges governments and member States to ensure the viable network of general aviation aerodromes; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: to urge States and administrating authorities to:
- share the responsibility for general aviation aerodromes and to ensure that all regions of the country have sufficient access to general aviation aerodromes; and
- research various ways by which the network of aerodromes may be realized, and
- recognize the importance of aerodromes to the national infrastructure.
Resolution 25/10
Growing the Pilot Population
Submitted by AOPA-USA & IAOPA
Whereas:
all IAOPA members seek to attract more individuals into aviation; and
Whereas:
all IAOPA members have the ability to share flying experience with non-pilots throughout the year; and
Whereas:
IAOPA will be strengthened through efforts to grow the pilot population; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: that IAOPA affiliates:
- exchange information among affiliates regarding growing the pilot population; and
- develop ‘best practices’ describing successful approaches that attract individuals to flight training programs; and
- make these issues a topic of ongoing discussion and the subject of a report to the affiliates and the agenda to the next IAOPA World Assembly.
Resolution 25/11
National Pilot Ratings within the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
Submitted by AOPA-UK
Whereas:
within EASA there are a number of national pilot ratings for which there will be no equivalent under the 2012 EASA member State harmonization program. This will result in the loss of established valuable national ratings based on an administrative change; and
Whereas:
an example of this is the UK Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) rating, with over 20,000 issued to date. This rating offers the privilege of flight in IMC outside controlled airspace with approach privileges without the requirement of a full instrument rating with its associated training requirements, cost and ongoing currency commitments. The benefit of this rating is improved flight safety; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves:
- that it will communicate to EASA the value of this rating and the ability of national authorities to retain ratings, subject to national laws, where there is a demonstrated safety benefit and no such equivalent rating is available through EASA regulation; and
- to encourage other States to consider the safety benefit of such a rating.
Resolution 25/12
Grandfather Rights
Submitted by AOPA-UK
Whereas:
it is necessary to ensure that pilots do not lose license privileges as a result of regulation evolution (grandfather rights) particularly with the regulatory changes and harmonization at present taking place within European region; and
Whereas:
certain types of licenses issued by national authorities have no equivalent under the 2012 harmonization proposals which will deprive pilots, in some cases, of an ability to earn a living (a human rights issue as well); and
Whereas:
an example of this is the UK Basic Commercial Pilots License (BCPL) which was introduced to allow UK PPL instructors to continue to instruct for remuneration under JAR when it became a requirement to hold a CPL to instruct for remuneration; and
Whereas:
there is no equivalent of a BCPL within present EASA proposals. Whilst it is a basic human right to earn a living it cannot be right that new European rules take away the right to continue earning a living on the same basis; and
Whereas:
a similar issue is the proposal for overseas flight training instructors to hold a full EASA Instructor Certificate in order to teach for the issue of a European license. This requires completion of an approved EASA flight instructors course, with associated costs, particularly where there is no credit for existing instructor qualifications; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves:
- to pursue through the European Commission and EASA the issue of grandfather rights to ensure a like for like replacement of licenses without the requirement for additional training, examination or technical requirement; and
- to ask the Commission to address the need for instructional flight time credits to apply to overseas flight instructors.
Resolution 25/13
FAA (N-Registered) Aircraft in Europe
Submitted by AOPA-UK
Whereas:
EASA is proposing requirements that an aircraft owned under a Trust agreement must demonstrate that the aircraft meet all aspects of the FARs equivalent to European regulations in excess of those already applicable to N-registered aircraft that are permanently based in Europe; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: that Europe should recognize that the FAA complies with ICAO standards, has a fully compliant registry with a safety record comparable to that of Europe while offering adequate oversight, and should therefore accept properly N-registered aircraft as compliant to operate without further requirements in Europe, where the aircraft is being used for private purposes only.
Resolution 25/14
Aircraft Certification and Airworthiness Bilateral Agreements
Submitted by AOPA-UK
Whereas:
EASA has taken over the initial certification and continued airworthiness rules for aviation in Europe in order to reduce costs; and
Whereas:
the FAA has for many years fulfilled the role of certification of aircraft and equipment and has had many bilateral agreements with a number of States. No such agreement exists between the European Commission and its agency EASA, and the US Department of Transport and its agency the FAA; and
Whereas:
this lack of bilateral agreements affects AOPA members when, for example, STCs are not automatically accepted; and
Whereas:
this increases costs to members as they need to apply for an STC and pay for the involvement of a design firm.
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: to pursue at the highest political level the need for Europe and the USA to enact bilateral certification and airworthiness agreements as they may apply to general aviation.
Resolution 25/15
Network of Airports to Serve General Aviation
Submitted by AOPA-Canada
Whereas:
airports are under significant threat of closure, due in large part to a lack of understanding of their role in the national transportation infrastructure; and
Whereas:
a network of airports that serve general aviation is an essential requirement for general aviation to be a viable part of a State’s national transportation infrastructure; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: that States be encouraged to include in their Air Transportation Policy a statement that defines an appropriate network of airports to serve general aviation so that it remains a viable mode of transportation for the State.
Resolution Number 25/16
Global Recognition of Light Sport Aircraft
Submitted by IAOPA-Secretariat
Whereas:
the expenses associated with operating training aircraft have grown to the point where the cost of training the next generation of aviation professionals is prohibitively expensive; and
Whereas:
these costs will limit the number of students that could afford to learn to fly, as well as those owners and pilots that could continue to fly; and
Whereas:
there are no aeroplanes on the market that are lower in cost to operate and these aeroplanes are a growing segment of general aviation; and
Whereas:
recognizing that these new aeroplanes or light sport aeroplanes (LSA) are now highly capable, and have the capacity to meet the need for lower cost general aviation aeroplanes; and
Whereas:
recognizing that the production and certification of LSAs is not globally harmonized and that in accordance with Article 33 of the Convention of International Civil Aviation that this may place a barrier on the recognition of the pilot’s license and certificates of airworthiness; and
Whereas:
recognizing that the lack of international regulatory framework to support the multi-national recognition of LSAs and associated pilot licenses may raise the cost of operation of LSAs and the resulting cost to operators, pilots and trainees; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves to:
- call upon the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to review the need for high level certification standards for LSAs; and
- call upon ICAO to review the current Annex 1 Licenses to assess the need for the establishment of LSA pilot licensing standards; and
- emphasize the need for any future licensing and/or certification standards to follow the concept of proportionality to reduce the burden of any future regulatory requirements on the industry and the operators; and
- call upon the States to establish the regulations in accordance with any future ICAO standards as a means to promote uniformity and the recognition of certificates and licenses for LSA.
Resolution 25/17
Standardizing Airspace Classifications
Submitted by AOPA-Italy
Whereas:
general aviation needs two essential resources (other than money) with which to operate: aerodromes and airspace. A persistent threat concerning airspace access plagues general aviation, especially those operating under visual flight rules (VFR). This is the random, unplanned and non-standardized placement of tightly controlled airspace in areas frequented by general aviation, generally areas not requiring a high degree of control; and
Whereas:
little guidance is provided to States regarding airspace design and justification. The result is that airspace segments are designated at the whim of the regulatory authority, yielding little standardization among States, even contiguous ones; and
Whereas:
enroute navigation while avoiding restrictive airspace makes VFR operations increasingly complex. This complexity aggravates a number of other potential hazards: marginal weather, dwindling fuel, rising terrain and apprehensiveness about a possible airspace violation all conspire to increase risk and reduce safety for the VFR pilot; and
Whereas:
little or no consistency in airspace standardization exists from one State to another, especially with regard to the airspace above 3,000 feet AGL or within terminal areas. One State’s Class D airspace becomes another’s Class C or another’s Class B. Since many States erroneously equate a high degree of air traffic control with safety, much airspace is over-classified; therefore
IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, reaffirms its 24th World Assembly resolution: to urge ICAO, State and military regulatory authorities responsible for classifying airspace to:
- classify airspace at the lowest possible level commensurate with the type of operations conducted; and
- involve stakeholders and use their input when developing airspace classification policies, standards and locations; and
- coordinate airspace classification policy with nearby States and regional groups; and
- design airspace using risk assessment and cost benefit analysis techniques.
